


Sleep Well My Loves, The Worst Is Yet To Come

by ellerae



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, I get emotional about sleeping sometimes, Vax brooding ft. a raven buddy, Writing about sleep is the same as sleeping right?, Wrong, and pike sadness because I AM SAD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-31 09:02:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6464158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellerae/pseuds/ellerae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gilmore sleeps. Others sleep by him. With any luck it's enough.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleep Well My Loves, The Worst Is Yet To Come

**Author's Note:**

> Not entirely sure how this goes timeline-wise but it was 1am when I wrote it so hopefully mistakes can be excused. If there's a problem blame @eadownes on twitter cause if she would just answer my messages I wouldn't even need to post this online.

There's an open secret that Vox Machina keeps following the dragons' initial attack, and that's that Shaun Gilmore came extremely close to death. Everyone knows it, but no one wants to talk about how they were probably only in time by a matter of minutes. They all feel guilty in their own ways, thoughts playing across their minds at inopportune moments about what could have, would have, happened if they had been just seconds later. And so whether by virtue of that guilt, or the fact that he is a valued and loved friend, Gilmore finds the first couple of weeks after his duel with a dragon he is largely asleep in the largest bed that can be afforded by the modest emergency accommodations of Whitestone. Of course there were a great many refugees in the wake of Emon's fall and the bed couldn't stay just his forever. 

So it happens that Gilmore spends his few minutes awake every so often finding different members of Vox Machina sharing his bed. The first time it happens he wakes to find Keyleth is curled up small and fragile in front of him and he's been woken by Vex aligning herself along his back, sleepily muttering an apology for waking him and asking “You don't mind some cuddles do you darling?" to which he can barely mumble “Of course not.” before he's asleep again wrapped in the warmth of these two brave young women. 

The next time it happens there is a bank of heat behind him that he realises from the snoring must be Grog, his large form a comforting presence pressed back to his back. The time after that he finds Percival stretched out at his side with his coat draped over his shoulders rather than disturb the blankets, and nearly kicks Scanlan curled up at the foot of the bed before Gilmore realises he's there. 

The time after that he wakes enough to offer a few words to Vax who is lying facing him, holding one hand and stroking his thumb across Gilmore's cheek. There is another body wrapped up as small as it can make itself behind him that Vax tells him is Kashaw of the Slayers Take. After that he wakes to see both Lady Kima and Allura entangled in each other, Allura's back pressing into his front and her hair in his face so he has to gently tuck it back around her shoulders. 

The next time near cracks Gilmore's heart in two as Pike wakes him deliberately, tears streaming down her face and her breath heaving as she cries about how close she came to being too late. He clings to her tiny form and reassures her that he's here, he's getting better, he's awake more frequently and for longer. It isn't until Vax comes to bed with them and curls around Pike's back to cocoon her between their forms that she finally calms enough to sleep, her small fingers tangled in the hair at the base of Gilmore's neck. 

Following that Gilmore is actually awake to accept a shaking Vex into his bed days after her brush with the Raven Queen, Trinket snuffling his way onto the bed as well until the pair are covered more by bear than blanket. 

Finally, nearly two whole weeks after his arrival to Whitestone, Gilmore wakes with enough energy to move more than just a tiny shift in place. He rolls over and places his hand gently above Vax's knee, looking up at his blank stare. Vax is sitting up, leaning against the headboard methodically stroking the neck of a raven with one finger and tapping his fingernail against the blade of an unsheathed dagger. Gilmore leans closer and presses his forehead into Vax's arm. After what feels like a small eternity the raven hops off to the windowsill and Vax settles down properly into Gilmore's arms. The raven watches on, guarding it's champion, and Gilmore muses that he and Vax have traded places now. That's just fine by him though, he can stay awake and watch for a while.


End file.
